Thursday, January 05, 2012

Why Davao Tagalog is Funny and Equally Amazing

DISCLAIMER: This particular post is just a collection of stories about Davao Tagalog (personal insights of the author included). The "how-to-speak-Davao-Tagalog-101" was originally written by Mr. Ian Garcia sometime in '98-99. I do not own that part, as well as the Nay Pruneset story (I can no longer trace that particular blog written by someone named Weng).

For years, Davao has been known to be one of the most diverse cities here in the Philippines; having been tagged as a melting pot of cultures. True enough, a number of indigenous tribes settle in the mountainous region of the city and a number of people from different points of the country settle in Davao City for good. And because of that, the city has been home to numerous local languages of the Philippines - Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Chavacano, Ilokano, Bikolano - you name it.

If the Filipino language is a composition of all the dialects and languages in the Philippines , you might as well say that the language we speak in Davao City is the real Filipino language, and not Tagalog.

How can one distinguish a Davaoeño to a Cebuano? Or to a Kagay-anon, perhaps? Difficult? Easy. Easy as a-b-c. Davaoeños are one of the most unique people in the world. We can easily stand out if we are placed in a crowd of Filipinos from other parts of the country. And how, you say? Language.

Few years ago, a good friend of mine from Manila visited Davao and was pretty much intrigued to the existence of these three beings aptly named Nanay Pruneset, Miss Pruneset and Boogie.

She hailed a jeepney that would take her to her favorite mall. Inside the jeepney, the conductor collected the fare of the passengers and shouted "Oh, lugar lang, lugar lang". After the jeepney stopped and waited for more passengers in front of a wet market, the conductor shouted, "Si Boogie lang! Si Boogie lang!". Intrigued, my friend looked outside and found no one. A few minutes later, the conductor shouted again, but this time with a different name. "Nay Pruneset! Nay Pruneset!" A young man entered the jeepney and found a seat. He must be Boogie, my friend claimed. The jeepney sped off, continuing its journey.

The jeepney made a stop again but the conductor called the same name.

"Si Boogie lang! Si Boogie lang! Nay Pruneset! Nay Pruneset!"

My friend thought that Boogie's already inside the jeep. That made her more confused. The cycle continued three times more but the conductor kept on calling the same names.

But the jeep didn't move and had no plans to speed off to the next destination. My friend learned that the conductor was still busy looking for what it seemed to be Nanay Pruneset's long lost daughter.

"Miss Pruneset, miss pruneset!"

"Uggghhhh not again!", my friend muttered.

And from that day, my friend vowed to meet up with Boogie, Miss Pruneset and Nanay Pruneset ASAP and tell the three of them to rendezvous in one common place to avoid the inconveniences they had caused to the passengers... or so she thought.

Davao Tagalog 101

First time visitors would easily get confused with Davao's language. Yes, the city's dominant language is Cebuano, but it is totally different, I tell you. I've been living in Davao since forever and I can really attest to that difference.

Substituting names such as 'dong' and 'nang' has been a sign of respect to strangers. I'd rather be called 'dong' rather than being 'Pssssst' by random people. It is a bit offensive, I must say. But here's the twist: We often name people "Jude Uy" even if they do not look Chinese.

Friend: Renz Uy! Makainis ka na ba!

Now tell me. Do I look like a Chinese to you, huh?

We sometimes add 'ba' after the first name. Renzba! Wengba! Jamesba! Jesusba!

This trend has already been here for ages. It is just, we Davaoeños are unconscious with regards to it... and that includes me. Some claim that it's bastardizing the Cebuano dialect. Other say it sounds conyo and unpleasant to hear.

I cannot blame the Davaoeños for it. For having such a multi-ethnic background, language of the dominant people tend to morph and adapt to the language of the lesser groups. In Gensan for example, its Bisaya but uniquely you often hear Hiligaynon/Ilonggo terms and sentence construction. Ilonggo in Marbel is not that as deep as the Ilonggo of Western Visayas and their accent is stronger than those, because of the influence of the Cebuanos, Ilokanos and Maguindanaoans. In Davao, its history has proven its colourful background. :)

I landed in Davao way back in 1978, after working in Manila for 2 years. By then as I was born in Zamboanga, with and Ilonga mother and a cebuano mother, I had learned to speak several local dialects including tausug, ilongo, cebuano, chavacano and a little ilocano, and subanen.My father instilled upon me that in learning a dialect, learn everything including the accent ( specially chavacano. When i went to a mall i talked in tagalog, the sales lady talked back which i thought was a "trying hard tagalog"I taked back in Cebuano, still she persisted on her " trying hard " tagalog, to my mind why would she try to pretend to speak tagalog when i can perfectly understand cebuano. Later when I met my wife, i knew, they speak the Davao Tagalog.. have you heard of Tagalog sa Mati? its another story

Bwahahaha. . adik ka Renz. Pero, I don't know why, but sometimes I cringe in total disbelief to the existence of this language/dialect.

While, I sometimes use this language especially at school and with you around (haha!). It's just that sometimes, when you hear it from others it'll sound so awkward that you can't help but laugh and deliberately say "Ano man yan sya uy!!" in your mind.

I believe though that the Davao tagalog is prevalent only to students, "Abreeza-people" and Davaoenos of mostly our age. lols

ahahaha .. nice one .. a davaoena here .. back when i was still in high school i remember using NAGA in my tagalog .. like : "naga kain pa ako" .. ahahah .. but when i set foot in college my tagalog has improved that when i based in Manila i already use the proper Tagalog .. but when i got home my nephew talks TAG-BIS .. with the GI .. UY .. BA .. :D

makatawa ako kay the same thing happened to me in Cebu pud. i was looking (in vain, i might add) for the famous KITTY, as in "Sikiti! Sikiti!" when a friend and i rode the jeep there. Kafunny kay we answered the conductor pa jud with a very innocent "Halaka, Kuya, dili man Kitty akong pangalan! Dili pud Kitty iyang pangalan (pointing to friend)..so kinsang Kitty imong ginapangita?" at which point the conductor burst out in tickly laughter and said, "Sikiti ba..ISBUGI." Aw. :D

I had my unforgettable experience pabalik na ako ng Davao that time sa NAIA.. out of katuwaan with my friends while waiting sa plane,. i spoke a DAVAO TAGALOG,.. and our topic that time about sa pag-ibig bitaw... sa dihang may isa ka lalaki sa among likuran hastang katawa uy the way i speak..hahaha

Hello everyone! Really enjoyed reading your feedback. Anyway, it's really true that people from the middle to upper class often speak like this compared to, sorry for the lack of better adjective, lower class. But then again, it just shows that Davao indeed is a very diverse place. :)

Nicely written, humorous but with a grain of truth. I grew up in Davao and have since migrated abroad (1981) and your article brought back lovely memories of lovely Davao and it's lovely people!! Kudos on your article... frankly - that was the way I also spoke in my heyday but you omitted to mention the most famous words that I often speak to my grandchildren now.... Samok!! and Kapoy na!!! Best Regards... Ven

4th gen up usually talks like that but when u hear our ancestor and 3rd gen dabawenyos the native dialect is the same as the davao oriental.."diin ka magkadto"(correct me if im wrong)...tbh never learn the dialect..

I was born and raised in Davao, but the time I turned 10, we transferred to Polomolok (a mid-sized town between Gensan and Marbel).

Just wanna share: Polomolok's fusion of Hiligaynon and Cebuano are cool. Imagine two people, A [speaking Hiligaynon] and B [speaking Cebuano], talking to each other and have no problems understanding each other. :D Basta, the Hiligaynon and Cebuano being spoken in our town is really weird and cool.

Anyway, I went back to Davao for college and I was shocked to hear Davao Tagalog in my college schoolmates.

Actually I have to agree, students who graduated from high end schools speak this form of Tagalog, whereas tung mga kaila nako na taga-Assumption & City High, dili in-ato mag-storya ug Tagalog kay Bisdak kaayo sila. XD

hahaha...nice article! i remember my first shopping experience in divisoria with my fellow dabawenya friend years back. we learned that we can get the goods at a lesser price so my friend asked the saleslady for a discount or tawad and said "sige naman oh, patawarin mo naman ako!" toinks!!!!

been here in davao for almost 13 years..i was born and grew up in manila..just transfer when i was 15, & really cant forget my first day in school back then..as expected as a transferee, i cant speak bisaya..pure tagalog..others will talk to me in return in tagalog but most of them will have it in 'davao-tagalog'..and for some na nahihirapan talaga mag-tagalog,naiinis kasi bakit pa daw ako nagtatagalog eh nandito na ako sa davao...so as a high school student,i tried to learn their language..others will really laugh at me if mag-bisaya ako..others suggest mag-tagalog na lang daw ako ulit kasi kasi para daw akong muslim pakinggan..(no offense with muslims)..which is true sometimes kc napagkakamalan akong muslim sa accent ko...but when i reach college(by that time,i learned basic visayan words na)i usually talk in vernacular na but using simple words lng kc baka mamali ako, pagtawanan nanaman ako just like what happened when i was in high school na kasi nga im trying to learn, i read the sign board ng jeep na sasa 11-12 nakalagay as "sasa-eleven twelve" which is supposed to be read as "sasa onse-dose" pala...grabeh tawa ng classmate ko nun na hanggang kinabukasan kinuwento pa tlga sa klase namin..kaya mula non, i really tried na matutunan ang bisaya...yun nga lang, as years past by, d ko pa rin tlaga maiwasan matawa minsan kasi hearing davaoenos speak in tagalaog, malalaman mo talaga na hndi sila pure tagalog...mga "bis-dak"..bisayang dako... :) i mean, not all..but there were lots of them na mga "bis-dak"...even those who are studying in popular schools/colleges/universities...i dont know but in some ways i appreciate the language because when I went back in manila for a vacation, parang its a good feeling din na nagsasalita ka ng bisaya dun and everybody will be amazed and wondering ano ba sinasabi mo..only my mother lang nakakaintindi sa akin kasi she's waray..and if we want to talk na medyo confidential, we are just going to speak bisaya lang... :)& theres somebody there na na-recognize ko na bisaya din kasi he is asking the store bout TABLEYA...and i think, dito lang sa davao yung word na yun kasi d2 ko lang narinig yung TABLEYA..as well as "owel" for oil, "nudols" for noodles, "traysikol" for tricycle"...tama ba ako?... :) sometimes, until now cant understand pa rin some of bisaya words so still i need to ask somebody pa to translate it for me..but at least i know the accent na... :)

Naay mga jeep nga hangtud lang sa kilometro 11, which is still part of Sasa. Naay mga jeep nga hangtud lang sa kilometro 11, uban hangtud sa km. 12, also a part of Sasa bordering Panacsn. Sometimes, when one asks you where you live, just say sa Onse, without saying Sasa because it stretches all the way to Dose before Panacan which also starts sa Dose.

Sa totoo lang, that Davao tagalog has been in existence in the 70's when even the bankerohan vendors (take note...yung mga tindera ng isda, manok, baka, prutas etc. etc.) would also talk that way since there was still a hefty number of Batanguenos, Cavitenos, Novo ecijanos, bulakenyos in Davao... Yun lang nga in the early 80's dumami na ang mga Cebuanos/boholanos and migrants from other parts of mindanao that this language was relegated really to the Davao City old timers....

i cant help myself but laughing out loud and crying at the same time..i can relate to ur story because we also migrated to davao wayback 1974..i am a cebuano and when we moved to davao i was a 3rd yr HS transferee..i really had a hard time understanding the so called "Davao dialect"..its really funny and i can now adopt the situation..kahirap man gud magtagalog minsan oi..

nice blog!how funny and true this is. i can attest to this write up of yours on how diverse the settlers of davao are. to start i was raised in davao but born in bacolod. my lolo is from bulacan and my lola is from ilocos that migrated in davao in the 50's pa. imagine growing up with bisaya,tagalog,ilonggo,ilocano in front of you? with all these dialects around during the older years plus other luzon/visayas migrants,i think contributed to the creation/evolution of the Davao dialect.

I have countless friends and relatives from Davao City. If you don't mind the details, they are just simply Cebuano-speaking individuals whom I get to interact with ease, but if you really care to check out the fine prints, you'd realize there's a sprinkling of difference which I find sometimes funny and intriguing as Cagay-anon Cebuano and the native Cebuano dialects. When a place gets to receive people with varied cultural backgrounds, a piece of that seeps into the local culture, hence the hodgepodge. I Cagayan de Oro, you say CHADA for GUWAPO in Davao and NINDOT in Cebu. Even here in Leyte, where I now live, there's a dash of Cebuano words in Waray when you're in Tacloban and vice-versa in Ormoc. Waray in Tacloban becomes different as you go far north to Samar. My point is, I have accepted the way my Davao friends speaking in this manner. The world is fast becoming a small community, so cultural integration is inevitable.

i find this very true.but i remember when i was younger i had a friend from manila who's really speaking tagalog fluently though she can speak bisaya as well,she finds me funny every time i speak tagalog because of my accent so from then on i tried to speak straight tagalog and i'm confident i did made it thru learning the language and proper pronunciation skills.but when i went to japan to work and get back here in davao i noticed my cousins in their college days,speaking the "davao dialect",i find it irritating at first because it seems that it's a trying hard way of speaking the language.And i have friends who were not from manila but had a straight tagalog back then.And i thought people who are "sosyal" or trying to be uses the language.When i talk to people who are speaking tagalog i replied in a straight tagalog dialect not in the "davao dialect" because for me it's not the proper way..but then more and more people use it today and I find it funny..I still prefer using pure bisaya when someone talk to me rather than hearing the "davao dialect" when i know the person talking is a pure davaoeno and can speak pure bisaya..Talking about trying so hard...:)

this phenomenon on the development of dialects is not only prevalent in Davao but in Zamboanga as well, way back then the Chavacanos are very concious of using, voz, tu, and usted, when talking to younger one, we use voz, donde voz anda, of the same age, done tu anda, to someone older donde usted anda ( where are you going) but now everyone is using, ka, donde ka anda, ( ka is a cebuano word) asa ka paingun.. indeed language is dynamic, totoo jud ni ba. hehehe

I'm Davaoeno, was born and raised here and in 1998, went to migrate to America and came back last year for schooling. I don't think I've heard Davao Tagalog dialect spoken often by the mass or the common Davaoenos. This type of lingo that you're talking about here is only spoken by kolehiyalas (esp . from Ateneo) and high schoolers from private high schools. I ride the jeep everyday, I talk to my schoolmates /classmates (my current school is not Ateneo) almost everyday and talk to the common folks in Davao, and everybody just speaks Bisaya. Nobody in my class or family or colleagues say, " Ano ka ba oy, ka-funny mo talaga ba.". Rather, I hear this, "Unsa man ka oy, kataw-anan lagi ka kaayo." Only kolehiyas and 20 somethings (and not even half of Davao population) speak this way.What should be accurately notes is that the Davao Bisaya lingo you're talking about is only evolving in a small group in DAvao--those who are from Ateneo, those who are sosyals (upper class) and those who are well, should I say, TH "trying hard to climb up the social ladder." It evolved into a lingo that is held exclusively by only a few.

hhahaha this is so true.. im originally from cebu but wen I transfrd to Davao for my collge bachelors i was totally amazed on how dey speak bisaya mix with tagalog. I found it very awkward at first but at the later part i enjoy my friends talking that way ahhaha

Hello everyone@! Thanks for sharing your insights about Davao Tagalog. It is true that language is dynamic and changes as time goes by and it does not only apply to Davao Tagalog... it also applies to other languages as well (for instance, Chavacano-Cebuano).

Although it's not really a 'pasosyal' thing. I think those who speak Davao Tagalog are the ones who speak Tagalog at home but later learned Bisaya in the later years, like me.

And oh, to an anonymous who asked who Ireneo is... he's my grand uncle (my lolo's first degree cousin).

Hahaha...kafunny talaga because I can sooo relate...:) When I was in 4th grade I spent my vacay at San Fransisco. I was shopping with my mom and suddenly a Filipina who was working at the shop asked me, "taga davao ka gang? Kasi i hear uy, gani and lang." i just nodded and said, "opo" :) I talk like this maybe because my mom is tagalog and dad is bisaya. I guess we mixed both dialects and jen jen jen jen...DAVAO TAGALOG :)

thanks for this blog at namulat ang maraming Davaoeño sa katotohanan.. hehe i'm from Davao, i love Davao, and i'm proud of Davao! :) i think what's wrong is that most of the people in Davao think that when they speak Tagalog/Filipino, they are "sosyal".. which is totally UNTRUE! especially when they speak the "Davao Tagalog", it sounds awkward, T.H. and not sosyal at all.. i have lived in Manila for a few years and have adapted easily to their 'proper' Tagalog, including their accent but for me nothing compares to Bisaya/Cebuano -- it's unique, precise and dynamic.. i prefer speaking bisaya rather than tagalog.. kaya sana, kung magtatagalog din lang tayo, ayusin naten. kung dili gani, mag binisaya nalang gud! mas ok pa paminawon.. kay kung kita sad makadungog ug trying hard mag bisaya, dili ba gud ta makasaway?

its really not true, that everyone from davao speaks this way. I was born and grew up in davao but I speak plane cebuano with a little variation from the original dialect. But the way the davao dialect is used here in this blog I heard only from high students of high end schools and party people. Its true that davao people uses the word ba, gyud,gani,duh..but mixing tagalog and cebuano,only exist in the universities and malls. Although most of the phrases are mixed with ilonggo, hilgaynon, maranao,maguindana, and other dialects of the remaining tribes, but not the CEBUANO AND TAGALOG ONLY...take a deeper research to the majority of the locals..

I was already half asleep last night when my daughter showed this blog to me but in just under a minute of reading,my eyes were wide open and I laughed so hard that I almost cried! Grabe jud oi ka kataw-anan!hahaha! and here's something funny-on my way home from GMall this afternoon on board Route 13 jeep,I narrated this blog to my friend esp the "3 beings" Nay Pruneseat,Miss Pruneseat and Si Boogie",I didn't realized the entire jeepney was listening to my story until everyone broke into laughter after the driver shouted"O,si boogie lang beh!" hahaha!Truly,LIFE is HERE!!!Thanks,Renz!Madayaw!inasumso

Hahahaha i can relate, I'm from zamboanga and i speak chavacano but i can speak and understand visaya since my mom is bisdak... My husband is davaoeno, and he speaks a little vistag (visaya-tagalog) kasi minsan diko maintindihan yung "deep visayan" . I think may purpose talaga yung so called "davao-tagalog" it's not pasusyal.

Like me, vistag (davao tagalog) is common to me... Worst... I'm talking VISTAGCHAV!

I don't get it why some people take it so seriously. i believe this blog was made for us to have a good laugh (at our friends or maybe even at ourselves), so chill lang ba. ka-seryoso uy!I'm born in Davao but didn't grew up here. We only transferred (permanently) here when I was in High School. At first, i found it very annoying because at home we either speak pure Tagalog (granpa) or pure Bisaya (other people around me). But later on, I get to adapt it kasi most of the people in school, ganyan magsalita. Tapos nadala ko sa bahay. At first, people at home find it annoying but then, when my siblings started going to the same school i'm in, they also adapted the language.Pero every time we go to Manila or kahit sa Cebu and we unconsciously use the dialect, pinagtatawanan kami ng friends and relatives so during vacation di na namin ginagamit.pero nung college na, i realized na its unique and very different from both pure bisaya and pure tagalog and only in Davao, so after nun, di na ko nahihiya gamitin yung dialect plus when they ask me about it, i just explain it to them.Diverse kasi talaga sa Davao.Kaya saying na its bastardizing Cebuano, i don't think so. Kasi kung Cebuano they have their own dialect, Ilonggo has their own dialect, etc. why not Davao?

I know right! This post shouldn't ba taken seriously. I was even accused that I'm just making fun of Davao Tagalog and to those people who speak that dialect. Truly, she didn't understand what I wrote. Tsk.

I am a Dabawenyo myself and this article is dead on. Fortunately/unfortunately (however you'd like to look at it) I don't speak the same way when I speak in Tagalog. This is just one of those things that brands us as Dabawenyos, where ever you are in the world, when (I) you hear someone speak this way you (again I) have this nagging feeling to ask someone if the are from Davao. It is a quirk, or you could even go as far as call it a trademark of ours, that whether you like it or not is definitely here to stay. Kudos sa article!

When I was in high school, I swore na when I speak tagalog, pure talaga, same to the Cebuano language. Pero when I entered college, 'natuto talaga ako mag speak ng Davao tagalog ba. I have to admit I sound so eeeww. As in luod gyud talaga. Mao nang gabisaya gyud ko pirmi. Pero minsan, lingaw man din.' Hahaha.

nice blog...i moved a lot over Vismin area because of my job...and i received some comments everytime i talk to them in Visayan..and one of those is "Dabawenyo ka noh?" and i said yes...basically, the evolving Davao language has been a distinct mark of its inhabitants.

i didn't know cebuano is davaoneans' formal lingo. my mom was born in cebu and grew up in agusan del sur and cagayan de oro city. i still remember when i was a little gurl i always heard my mom speaking cebuano/tagalog/spanish/english - (cebtagspanglish?). now that i am older, i wish i learned how to speak cebuano from her.

Interesting! Two years ago I happen to have my very first encounter with the "Davao Tagalog", after being born and raised in Davao. I thought it was just me who thought it was kind of weird when I started hearing a group of tweens in our clubhouse pool using the "Davao Tagalog". I can attest to 16 years of my life (out of the 27 and counting)in Davao that I have never used the "Davao Tagalog" liberally as it is being used now. As far as I can remember we had to change from the normal Davaoeno dialect to the "Davao Tagalog" mode when we had to converse with a transferee in high school who didn't know any Visayan word at all. The girl eventually learned the dialect and we never had to change modes again. It was mainly used to converse with people who cannot understand or speak the dialect. I guess the evolution of it being just an option into the "norm" has been within the year 2001 - 2009, of which I never saw Davao and its increasing number of immigrants. It is just amazing how the dialect/language of a certain area evolves in time with the influx of migrants.Padayon sa paguswag Davao!

As a dabawenyo, i enjoy reading this blog...speaking the dabawenyo tagalog works actually on our advantage...we can easily shift to the manila tagalog smoothly without any hitch....well labi na kung english!

Been living in Davao for almost 9 years now. I noticed some Davaoenos hate how Manileyos speak tagalog. They shouldn't feel that way. (Just saying)

In addition to the examples, some would use the word "daw" pero yung sarili naman nila tinutukoy nila. I remember when we transfered from manila, a neighbor asked to borrow our ball. She said, "Pahiram 'daw' ng bola." My brother and I wondered who will borrow the ball. Someone should have told her, right? She was refering to herself pala. :) "Can I borrow the ball" pala. Hehe.

I have nothing against it. It's nice that we aware about this. :) Nice blog btw.

I have been a Davao City resident since 1995 and saw the evolution of this Davao language. Well, it can easily be understood because it is a melting pot of all languages in the country. It is very distinct compared to the people living in the Davao provinces. If you here someone speaking in pure Bisaya, chances are that he or she is not from the city. My kids were born and raised in Davao and if we go home to their mother's province in Agusan, they have a hard time to understanding the pure Bisaya language. Chances are, it is their cousins and aunties who talked to them in Davao Tagalog.. :)

Language evolved through time and the Visayan language is slowly making its way to the mainstream Filipino vocabulary. Unknowingly, Manila Tagalogs are now using Visayan words such as Kawatan, Habal-Habal, Ukay-ukay, Humba, kinilaw, inasal and many more..

The good thing with the Davao Tagalog is a combination of the two dominant languages (Tagalog and Visayan) in the Philippines with a tinge of other languages. It has evolved through time since the arrival of first pioneering migrants from Luzon and the Visayas at the turn of the century.

It cannot be denied that the present-day Dabawenyos are fiercely proud of this language because it reflects the real epitome as independent Filipinos who toiled their way to make this part of the country a livable place today. It was the tolerance and sensitivity to other cultures that made this language evolved.

Hi! I grew up and educated in Davao and now residing here in Boracay Island.Tourist come and go from all over the country and spoke diversely and differently with their local dialects which I encounter in daily basis. But, One afternoon I was walking along the beach I heard this lady saying to her daughter " wag ka masyadong magbikang-kang baka mapasukan ng maraming balas ung panty mo", instantly when I heard that statement I bursted into laughter and ask the lady, Are you from Davao?

actually there's nothing wrong with the davao tagalog language because language is evolving. even the american english that you believe is the right english is not the actual english because american english is a derivative of the english language. bale during the colonization era americans have adapted the english language and later made it their own.. same lang yan sa chavacano when you hear them speak parang espanyol but hindi sya pure spanish.. now with tagalog ganun din.. and let us make it clear walang tama or mali sa language because it keeps on evolving.. kasi if you say mali ang tagalog davao then you're also saying mali ang american english.. and tagalog hindi lang yan sya iisa.. madaming variations ang tagalog iba ang tagalog sa manila, iba din sa batangas and marinduque. now meron na din tagalog sa davao.. it might sound weird but nevertheless we made it our own.

Hahaha.this blog is so funny uy,it reminds me sa mga sosyal este conyo ko na kaklase tong high school ako!I was born in DVO and lived there till I was 16. Every time I visit back, I learn new things. I always love DVO, people are very nice, and food is always fresh. NO matter where I am right now, I will always be PROUD to be a DABAWENYA. GO DAVAO!Kudos RM. 

Haha!Lingawa UY! Good thing i'm from Tagum City. Bisdak man gyud mi diri!I rarely hear those, siguro taga-Davao City sila, if ever. There are some expressions though that are rampant here like UY & KUAN.I'm an English teacher, and i absolutely agree that LANGUAGE IS LIVING. It keeps on evolving. Before, I haven't heard the words diri-a, didto-a (all directions actually is + a)and impil instead of apil. Irritating actually, but language evolution is simply INEVITABLE.

i was born & raised in davao. i attended catholic universities and i went to an exclusive HS for girls and we were always speaking English because of the school policy and the foreign students (albeit they were few). in college, however, i learned this "Davao Tagalog" because of the diversity in class (may taga-davao del norte, dvo del sur, s.cotabato, dvo oriental, zamboanga peninsula, etc.). after college, i spent a year in cebu for training/studies where i learned authentic cebuano (lisod!). and then i spent 5 years in manila for special studies. i was in enrolled in a class with other asians and only 40% were Filipinos (I was the only one from Mindanao). kaya naman when i returned to davao, parang nanibago ako sa Davao Tagalog.

it's taking a while to revert back to my "favorite tongue." however, talking to my 5-year old nephew is a big help. i see him on weekends and i'm proud to say that davao tagalog will live in generations to come when i hear him say, "ano talaga ba, ka-pretty talaga ng classmate ko, Tita. like, so pretty gyud ba." (hehehe!)

Davao Tagalog never fails to interest me. In my case, I'm Davaoenyo born and raised, and, until high school, I studied in the school constantly being pointed out in the previous comments and being accredited (or accused?) for the regular usage of Davao Tagalog. Then, I studied in Manila for college.

Whenever I'm in Manila, I would always have this seething desire to speak in Davao Tagalog. However, I wouldn't want to sound 'uneducated' to the Manilenyos I'm conversing with, so I was kind of forced to shove in my brain the 'Filipino' way of speaking Filipino. It always excites me when I would be going home to Davao for semester, Christmas, or summer breaks because I know I could speak Davao Tagalog with no worries.

Anyway, this just goes to show how creative, adaptable, and accepting the Davaoenyo culture is. However, I'd have to also agree with the people who say that only a certain demographic is constantly using this. That's true, too. Nonetheless, it's catching on quickly.

i have grown up here in Davao, it was pure 'bisaya' then, or pure 'tagalog' whenever i met friends when i was young...the mix ups eventually came...the "carabao tagbis" (tagalog/bisaya) language bothers me a bit nowadays..before it wasn't that OA, now it's just a bit upsetting and annoying...i noticed kids are not learning the 'national' language well because of this..yes, filipino is not really a "favorite subject" by most filipinos, but still it's good to to learn proper filipino as we learn proper english too...with all this "bastardization" of the tagalog language very rampant today in davao, and the "ya-ya" way one speaks, it doesn't make one sound "cool" or "hip" but just plain "maarte" instead...as if it's "sosyal" when you speak that way...yes, it sounds funny, and cute...but in the end, the best pa rin ang straight tagalog or straight bisaya, or straight english at that...one sounds more educated than the "bastardized tagalog" especially when you carry seals of renowned schools like ADDU or UP and the likes...just my two cents..no offense intended..God bless!

dang...my comment didn't post...was searching for something else (translation-related) and end up here..anyways, i really had a great laugh at this post. hve several friends from davao and one of them would always use the term "beh"... i thought it's her term of endearment for me, so it's not pla lol! :Dwill have to ask her nay pruneset heehee

It is indeed a "Bastardization of the cebuano dialect" aside from the fact that it's ANNOYING AND IRRITATING. It's a lingo spoken by "Trying-Hard-Narrow-Minded-Tagalog-Wannabees-Who-Think-That-Speaking-Tagalog-Make-Them-Cool-And-'Sosyal' ". A domestic version of colonial mentality. It pisses me off whenever I hear someone speaking like this. I have a strong belief that when it comes to language/dialect you should "speak-like-a-native". If you speak Cebuano, speak like a real Cebuano. If you speak Tagalog, speak like a real Tagalog. If you can't speak Tagalog with the correct syntax and grammar then speak Bisaya/Cebuano. After all, this is Davao- and the majority of people here speak Cebuano. Embrace Cebuano because it's a beautiful language. Kudos those people who can speak straight-cebuano here in Davao. Nice Blog though.

Davao-bisaya is different from Cebu-bisaya. Davao/Gensan people think its cool to speak tagalog. Little did they know its not really tagalog they are speaking but a mixture of tagalog and theirnative tongue which really sounds irritating! Lol. Cebu-bisaya on the other hand is a mixture of bisaya and English. Real Cebuanos refuse to accept tagalog as the "cooler" language so sosyaleras there mix english and their native language. Eg. Davao- ayaw ko man mag kain jan oy. Cebu- ayaw tag eat diha oy! Lol see the difference?

Indeed Davaoenyo's are easily distinguished due to their use of vocabulary and accent. Interesting as it sounds, and annoying as it can get, I find this to be a huge problem. WHY?

Because we're talking about grammar, and basically the Cebuano and Tagalog of Davao is grammatically wrong, is it not? In most cases, being able to speak in correct grammar signifies intelligence and I can't help but become irked to the core each time I am in Davao because as friendly as the people are, I feel I am speaking to someone who is corrupted or deliberately choosing to not speak properly.

There main factors in this I believe are: 1. The migration of Tagalogs to Davao, and 2. The need of locals to 'look good' and 'impress' their peers.

I'll address both briefly. For my first point, wherever people migrate, they should learn to assimilate and adapt to the local culture, including established LANGUAGE of the majority. I strongly dislike parents that avoid Cebuano at all costs when communicating to their children, as if it were a language of the poor. Second point, yes it is important to be someone who stands out and it is obvious to me that when I speak Cebuano fluently, I get more wierd looks than anywhere else in the country, almost as if it's a crime!

Most of the time, Davaoenyo's speak to me in English or Tagalog when they see me. When I speak to them in Cebuano they continue to respond in English or Tagalog. I find that to be completely rude, as if they don't want to look 'poor' in front of a 'rich' guy.

Speaking plain simple English, I can speak.Speaking pure Tagalog with proper grammar and tenses,I really can speak. Speaking pure Cebuano,for I'm Cebuano in ancestry but already born in Davao,that's my native tongue. Why many Davaowenyo's can't do it? Were they not taught "Balarila" during their school days? Distorting sentenses full of "mag" and "man". Kabobohan ba yan or tinuyoan lang para kataw-anan? It's still not late to practice what is "pangnagdaan", "pangkasalukuyan", "panghinaharap". Proper usage of past, present and future tenses.

I was born and raised in Davao City. I went to school @ UIC, and spoke straight English, straight Tagalog, and straight Bisaya. This is primarily how Atenistas talk. When I transferred to Ateneo for high school, I actually found this way of talking as weird. I got used to it, but I never picked it up.